Awning tube has big bow in it

[Scott Troedson]

Hello I have a Rockwood 2017 2715 vs Ultra V. The awning has a big bow in it, about 1in in the middle of the awning tube and the front arm slams out when opening . When opened the awning has a belly in the middle which I feel will load up with water.The awning fabric rolls up very wrinked. The dealer says that the bowed wrinkled slamming awning is normal for that length (20ft) but they replaced it anyway. I just got it back from dealer and it is bowed bellied and slamming the same as before. Is this truly nomal.
Thanks for your support
-Scott

[youroo]

A 20'awning will have a "Bow" in the middle! Wrinkles come and go with "Temperature"change! Material alignment helps Wrinkle and Arm problems also! Youroo!!

[Thurman]

I'm on my fourth TT over some years and all have had an awning. I learned from an old timer years ago that when the awning is rolled up and you are traveling down the road, the awning "bounces" between the two awning arms and this will give the awning tube a bow in the middle. The last three TT's I've had I added an awning support to prevent the awning from bouncing when going down the road and I do believe this has helped.

[jeff64]

I can relate to what the OP is referring to. Has anybody gone the effort to install one of these on a dometic 9100 series? Seems like it would do the trick. Brand of awning shouldn't make a great deal of difference
https://www.amazon.com/Carefree-9028.../dp/B00BFTYWI6

[5picker]

Large awnings tend to sag or bow in the middle.
Is it 'normal'? I don't know if that's the correct way to describe it but yes, every longer awning I've had/looked at experienced this condition.

As youroo mentioned, temperature has an effect on material wrinkling as it stretches/contracts from weather conditions. All this provided your arms are in good alignment.

The banging from the arms when extending isn't just on longer awnings and really isn't caused by the bow from additional length. Shorter ones will do that too.
Do you tighten or leave loose your pitch adjustment knobs? (if so equipped)

[Happy Camper 2715]

I have the same problem with our 2715vs awning,I don't think there is a fix. I thought about adding a center support bracket also, but am concerned that there is nothing to really screw into except the skin and styrofoam wall,not sure it would hold up very long, then you would have holes to deal with.

[jeff64]

Originally Posted by Happy Camper 2715

I have the same problem with our 2715vs awning,I don't think there is a fix. I thought about adding a center support bracket also, but am concerned that there is nothing to really screw into except the skin and styrofoam wall,not sure it would hold up very long, then you would have holes to deal with.

X2

No doubt, this is a little more tricky than just a hole( or two) with a screw securing it.

[bubbles]

My 20 footer bows. Not an issue. One side of my awning would bang when extending and that was because the gas strut was bad. One end deployed normally but the other end would not deploy till awning extended farther out. Replaced the strut on the banging end and issue solved. Both ends extend in concert.

[Iwannacamp]

Dometic or Carefree or someone makes an aluminum support that slides inside the tube to reinforce the tube. I feel a person could make something if they wanted to...

My awning is 21FT and so far I haven't had any problems yet....

[Scott Troedson]

I do like the middle support bracket but I would be concerned that it might damage my fiberglass side . Thanks everyone for all the input

[VTX Al]

Originally Posted by Scott Troedson

Hello I have a Rockwood 2017 2715 vs Ultra V. The awning has a big bow in it, about 1in in the middle of the awning tube and the front arm slams out when opening . When opened the awning has a belly in the middle which I feel will load up with water.The awning fabric rolls up very wrinked. The dealer says that the bowed wrinkled slamming awning is normal for that length (20ft) but they replaced it anyway. I just got it back from dealer and it is bowed bellied and slamming the same as before. Is this truly nomal.
Thanks for your support
-Scott

I had the same problem a few years ago with the 21' awning on our 2010 Rockwood SUL 8315BSS. After much research, I discovered this product:
https://www.megax57.com/collections/...ken-rv-awnings

I eventually decided that I could live with the sag in the tube and did not try this item out, so cannot comment on effectiveness, etc. Recently traded the 2010 unit after seven years or so of having a "sagging" awning tube, with no real problem developing from the sag (it did not seem to get any worse after the initial amount of sag !) I would say just learn to live with it, since replacing the tube will probably develop a sag as well.

...VTX-Al

[Scott Troedson]

Thanks I'll look into it

[aceinspp]

My 2006 5er had a 21 ft awing and it had a middle support bracket for both the travel mode and then a rod that you attached to the awning once it was deployed. Worked very well. As mentioned early problem with mine was attaching to the fiberglass side they missed finding a stud to attach bracket. Cure for this was right where the screws pulled out there was a cupboard thre and I just had them drill clear through the wall and used a long bolt with washers to firmly secure it. End of problem. Later RJD

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Happy Camper 2715

I have the same problem with our 2715vs awning,I don't think there is a fix. I thought about adding a center support bracket also, but am concerned that there is nothing to really screw into except the skin and styrofoam wall,not sure it would hold up very long, then you would have holes to deal with.

I would suggest an awning support. It DOes Not have to be directly in the middle. You can locate a stud and screw it into that so that it has more support than a mere piece of fiberglass in order to get it properly secured.

I had an 18' awning on my last camper and it did not bow at all. But, if you have the same issue with two tubes, (assuming the dealer actually changed the tube) I would certainly do that.

Here is a link to a support:

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...rt-white/83265

[Slow Moon]

Believe it or not, I have a 25' awning on my Salem 32SRV-LE 5er Toy Hauler. Yes, TWENTY-FIVE FEET (the dealer did not believe me when I called about replacement fabric). It came from the factory with a side wall mounted center roller support for the highway/stowed position and a center fabric support arm to keep it from sagging into a water collector when deployed.

It works fine. I have no bow in the roller and no sag in the fabric. From this I conclude that the center roller support and center fabric support arm work as intended.

I do manually pull and turn the roller to stress the fabric when locking the extension arms each time I deploy the awning as directed in the instructions, and this seems to help.

[Big Bill]

So the dealer told you that’s normal ( I’ve heard that before) then it is

[OldBob]

Originally Posted by Scott Troedson

Hello I have a Rockwood 2017 2715 vs Ultra V. The awning has a big bow in it, about 1in in the middle of the awning tube and the front arm slams out when opening . When opened the awning has a belly in the middle which I feel will load up with water.The awning fabric rolls up very wrinked. The dealer says that the bowed wrinkled slamming awning is normal for that length (20ft) but they replaced it anyway. I just got it back from dealer and it is bowed bellied and slamming the same as before. Is this truly nomal.
Thanks for your support
-Scott

We have a 2015 2715VS Ultra V. We don't have the bend in the middle or the awning sag but it does snap when opening. We LOVE having the 21 foot awning. The snapping sound doesn't bother us much but it closes very slowly, so slowly that I often wonder it it's going to make it or not.

[Scott Troedson]

One of the replies said that he replaced the gas strut which took care of the problem

[Thurman]

The support from Amazon in post #4 is what I installed on my 18' awning just last spring. Not shown in the photo is a "backing plate" which is an aluminum plate you fasten to the RV. On my unit the top holes in the backing plate allowed the screws to go into the aluminum framing of the TT for a good secure attachment. The bottom screws, unfortunately, only went into the fiberglass siding. The support is designed to fit onto the front of the backing plate and uses two screws that go through the support plate to go into the external siding. The support plate IMO is to only give the support a larger footprint on the exterior siding. I fudged a bit and installed flat head machine screws from the backside of the support plate and used an elasticone locknut on the screws. To hold the screws while installing the nut I hack sawed a slit in the end of the screw so that a screw driver would hold the screw while tightening the nut.